The Arashikage Zippo
by Trooper0007
Summary: Three weeks before the Scooby gang graduated, a friend of Xander's offered him a place in the friend's family business. Knowing that he would be unable to attend college with his friends despite having good grades, Xander accepted his friend's offer and leaves for Japan after graduation. This is a BTVS/ Marvel crossover with heavy influences from the GI JOE Franchise.
1. An Offer That He Can't Refuse

**Chapter One: An Offer That He Can't Refuse**

* * *

Xander sat quietly on one of the few couches that Giles had allowed to be placed inside of his library as he stared at his lap. In his lap was a letter from the University of California, Sunnydale telling him that they had rejected his application to continue his education at their school. For the last two days, he had been receiving the same type of letter from various colleges and universities across the state. The letters all said the same thing; he wasn't the type of person that they wanted. He of course already knew what they were implying with those words. They wanted students that could bring them a lot of money from school fees and government grants. Granted, he knew that the chances of him getting in a college were a long shot to begin with as he didn't really have the money to pay the entrance fee.

"I was wondering if I would find you here, Harris." A male voice spoke up startling Xander.

Xander looked up to find Tommy Arashikage looking at him with some concern in his eyes. If there was one person that Xander could consider a friend outside of Buffy and the rest of the gang, it was Tommy. Sure they didn't really hang out that much due Xander's nightly activities, but they were close enough that Tommy had invited him over to his house several times in the past. The two of them first met each other when he had gone to the only martial arts studio that operated in Sunnydale in order to receive training that would help extract his revenge against the Supernatural beings that had killed his best friend. At first, the two of them didn't really get along that well as Xander was only focused on improving himself and didn't want to form any bonds with his fellow students. However, over time Xander's drive for revenge slowly faded away and changed into a desire to protect people so they didn't have to go through the same thing that he did and made several attempts to bond with his fellow martial arts student.

"Hey Tommy, what are you doing here?" Xander asked with general curiosity as his fellow martial artist had made it a habit to avoid the library as much as possible.

Which happened to be a good thing as Xander and the rest of the Scooby gang spent most of their lunches inside their trying to prevent the almost weekly apocalypse from occurring, and didn't want to answer any awkward questions. While Xander trusted Tommy with his life, he didn't want the Japanese-American to throw his life away hunting the things that went bump in the night like he did.

"I was looking for you, X. I wanted to invite you to join my family's business back in Japan if you have nothing set up after we graduate." Tommy commented as he tried his best to ignore the college letter that was in Xander's lap.

Xander remained quiet for a few minutes as he thought about the opportunity to go to Japan and have a job already lined up for him. Sure he didn't know what the job was, but he felt that he could quickly fill whatever position Tommy's family gave him. Besides the need for a passport to leave the country wasn't an issue for him as his uncle Rory had been kind enough to go get him one when he turned seventeen. And the only things that was keeping him here was his perceived obligations to his friends. How, he wasn't dumb enough to realize that he was slowly becoming a burden to them as the two girls prepared themselves to leave for college.

"Thanks for the offer, Tommy. But I need to time to think it over and I'll get back to you about your offer." Xander spoke as he mentally told himself to talk to Giles later on about the offer.

Tommy for his part understood that this was sudden offer on his part to be making. In fact, the only reason why he was making the offer so close to the end of the school year was because it took his uncles that long to decide to allow a gaijin into the family business. The fact many of the people that his family employed were openly against bringing a westerner into the fold. The last time, they allowed a westerner into their ranks had been in the nineteen sixties and that didn't very well as the dumb Canadian had to flee from Japan after a duel with the Silver Samurai.

"Take your time, Xander. But I need an answer about a week before we graduate because I'll be leaving for Japan the day after graduation." Tommy warned as he was aware that he was giving his friend two weeks to come up with a decision that would permanently change his life.

* * *

**Two Hours Later**

* * *

Rupert Giles was leisurely walking back to the Sunnydale High School's library. He was extremely proud of both Willow and Buffy for being accepted in college despite the fact that American universities were nothing more than expensive daycares for adults. However, he had yet to see Alexander anywhere today so he was slightly worried that something had happened to the boy. He knew that Xander's home life was less than ideal for any child to grow up in, but he had managed to maintain a steady grade point average that guaranteed him a place on the honor roll. This was despite the numerous attempts on Snyder's part to sabotage his grades out of sheer spite that the man had for Xander's father.

As Giles walked into the building that contained the school's library, he noticed that Xander was sitting in one of the few comfy chairs in the building. In the young man's lap was a letter from the local University. While Giles didn't approve of the American education system, he did respect the fact that they allowed more people into their higher education facilities than the ones in Europe did. He quickly walked over to congratulate the young man for getting into a college until he saw the word "rejected" stamped at the bottom of the paper in bright red letters.

Giles stopped dead in his tracks, as he recognized that Xander was brooding over the fact that all of his applications had been rejected. It had been through his insistences that the Californian native had continued sending applications to the various the colleges and universities across the State of California. Giles was sorely attempted to try and use his limited influence to help the lad get into a college, but knew that the Watcher's council would never approve of him wasting valuable resources on anyone but the Slayer and maybe the witch.

"I'm sorry that you weren't able to get into college like everyone else, Xander." Giles spoke with as much sympathy as he could muster.

He didn't really understand what it was like to be rejected out of college as he had dropped out of Oxford University when he had been twenty one out of sheer disdain for his father, who had pulled some strings to get him into the prestigious university. But still he understood that Xander needed someone to show that they cared for him enough to state something that his parents wouldn't say.

"It's alright Giles, besides now I can take Tommy up on his offer of joining his family business in Japan." Xander commented as he got up from the chair and rotating his right arm to get any kinks out that might have developed during his time self-loathing about making it into college.

Giles for his part remained stoic that many British people tended to do during most surprises. He didn't know that someone had made a job offer to Xander, then again with the Mayor's ascension fast approaching he didn't really have the time to learn about everything that was going on. However, he really didn't know if Xander had any friends outside of the people that he went on patrol with every night. So, it was kinda of ironic that the one person that didn't want a normal life was able to make friends with other people.

"Fascinating, so this Tommy fellow has offered you job in his family's business has he? Do you know what the job entails?" Giles questioned as he removed his glasses and began cleaning them.

While he was happy that Xander had been given an opportunity to work, even thought the young man didn't have any prior experience due to him being a high school student and his nightly activities, he was still wary about the fact the job description that he had been given was extremely vague. And sure enough, Xander shook his head indicating that he didn't know what the job he had been offered really was. Giles let out an annoyed exasperated sigh at the news that Xander didn't know anything about his possible future employer.

"Can you at least tell me this Tommy fellow's last name so I can figure out what exactly his family does for a living?" Giles requested as he knew that many Japanese companies and Zaibatsu corporations were in fact named after the family or clan that founded them.

It had something to do with respecting the history of the company and the family that founded them. Giles honestly didn't really know what to think of it as many companies in Europe and North America didn't really name themselves after their founders.

"Tommy's full name is Thomas Arashikage, Giles." Xander truthfully answered not really sure why the British librarian would ask such a strange question in the first place.

Giles felt his eyes widen as the name Arashikage immediately sent up dozens of red flags. He knew that he heard that name before, but he just couldn't remember where he had heard from. After a few minutes of thinking about the name, he realized where he had heard the name from. The family had sued the British museum over several dozen artifacts that had been allegedly stolen from various religious shrines by British soldiers during the occupation of Japan following its defeat at the end of World War Two. The artifacts in question had ranged from small Shinto and Buddhists statues to numerous artistic Katana swords that had been discovered missing following an annual inventory check following the end of the occupation in 1952. Needless to say, in the following trial the Museum had been greatly embarrassed about the fact that they had been displaying stolen artifacts and quietly handed the artifacts over to the Japanese government.

However, the court case had an additional side effect that wasn't known to the public. The case had severely damaged the prestige of the Watcher's council, and its influence over the British government as they had been the ones that stolen the artifacts in the first place. Since then many younger Watchers that had long time connections to the organization had been on the lookout for members for the clan that greatly humiliated the group that protected the human race from the forces of darkness. Admittedly, Giles was one of those watchers who had been on the lookout for the Arashikage but for an entirely different reason than everyone else.

"Xander is it possible for you to arrange a meeting between me and Thomas's parents. I would like to speak to them about a few things that involve the Watcher's Council and their clan." Giles requested in a tone that indicated that he really wanted to speak to them.

Xander looked at the man that he had come to view as a father figure. He knew that Giles intentions were honorable just by reading the surface thoughts of the man's mind using his special gift of telepathy. Yes, Alexander Lavelle Harris was a mutant. While he wasn't extremely powerful, he had been able to harness his abilities to great effect during his childhood in order to stay alive and during his nightly patrols with Buffy and Willow. The only person that he had ever told about his mutation was his deceased best friend Jesse McNally and even then it had been under extreme circumstances due to the various anti-mutant movements that had been demonstrating in Sunnydale at the time.

However, there were drawbacks to using his powers to much. If he used his powers at full strength without slowly building it up, his brain would start to hemorrhage thus possibly killing him. Another drawback was that if he used his powers to much, his eyes would turn from their normal brown to a vibrant green with a slight golden hue to them. He would also start bleeding out of tear ducts, ears, and nose until he passed out from blood loss. He had learn these two weakness the hard way when he had been young and dumb enough to experiment to see how far his powers could go. Thankfully, the doctors and nurses at Sunnydale general hospital attributed both incidents to a vicious beating at the hands of his father Anthony.

"I can try Giles, but I can't promise you that you'll be able to meet with them anytime soon." Xander quietly spoke as he felt guilty for abusing Giles's trust in him by reading his mind and for keeping his powers a secret from his friends for all this time.

Giles nodded his head in understanding, but didn't understand why Xander was feeling guilty all of sudden. Was it because he believed that he had personally failed everyone for not getting into college like everyone else? The British watcher knew that Xander always took the death of someone at the hands of the supernatural as a personal failure. While he had to admire the boy's determination to save as many people as he could, Xander needed to realize that he like the slayer couldn't save everybody.

"That's all I ask for, Xander. Also I think that you should take that job offer as it would give you a life outside of slaying vampires." Giles encouragingly commented as he walked over to the Californian teen and patted him on the shoulder like a proud father would.

Xander looked at Giles in surprise at what he had just heard.

"I can't do that Giles! What would happen to the hellmouth and the girls if I just up and left town just so I can further my own life." Xander asked in alarm at the thought of abandoning his friends.

In all honesty, Xander didn't really care that much about his own life as he had been constantly told by almost every single adult that he had meet that he was worthless. However, he was deeply loyal to his friends to the point that he was more than willing to sacrifice his life if it meant saving theirs.

Giles let out another sigh as he knew that Xander was going to react in that way when he first suggested it.

"Alex, if Buffy and Willow are truly your friends then they would full heartedly support the idea of you going to Japan so you could life a somewhat normal life. Besides don't worry about the hellmouth, because if everything goes according to plan then we'll be able to seal it up permanently." Giles calmly answered as he pulled a rolling step stool next to the chair that Xander was sitting in before sitting down on it.

Xander briefly thought over what Giles had just told him. Deep down, he knew that Jesse wouldn't have wanted him to carry out a pointless vendetta against the supernatural as it wouldn't solve anything. He then began to think back to when he first started patrolling with Buffy and Willow. They would always make despairing remarks about his fighting abilities or the lack of them every time he managed to slay a vampire. The he recalled how Buffy was more than willing to sacrifice everybody just so she could have her undead lover back regardless of the sins he had committed. Willow had been all too willing to enable Buffy's constant whining about how it wasn't fair that she couldn't have at least one moment of happiness in her life. He then realized that they weren't really his friend as they had always taken him for granted and used him as a donut guy.

"You know what Giles. I think I'll take Tommy up on his offer to join his family business. I have nothing holding me here after graduation." Xander proudly proclaimed as he got out of his chair before leaving the library to go look for Tommy and tell him that he'll join his family business.

As soon as Giles was sure that Xander had left, he smiled to himself as he had helped Xander realize who is true friends really were. He gently lifted himself off of the step stool and walked over to his office so he could make a call to an associate in New York City. As he reached his desk, he noticed the several books that were nothing more than a bunch of thesis and theories about the history of the position of Sorcerer Supreme along with the men and women that held it. Like many mystical affiliated beings, the past Sorcerer Supremes always held the Watcher's Council in utter contempt for using a child to fight their battles for them. However, it wasn't until the recent appointment of newest Supreme did relations begun to steadily improve especially with the rise of demonically empowered beings like the ghost rider.

He picked up his phone and began dialing a number that he knew by memory. The phone rang a couple of times, before someone answered.

"Hello, who is this?" a male voice asked in a highly accented voice that Giles think that the man was from somewhere that was influenced heavily by the Chinese culture.

Giles for his part knew who exactly had picked up the phone as he had met the man on several occasions. The man in question was named Wong who happened to be one of the last students of the Ancient One and the manservant of the current Sorcerer Supreme.

"This is Rupert Giles with an urgent message for Doctor Stephen Strange. A demonic ascension is about to occur in Sunnydale and we need his help to stop it." Giles warned knowing that the mentioning of a demonic ascension was worth telling the Sorcerer Supreme.

While there had been an unknown number of ascensions in the past, only four had ever been recorded by a survivor of the event, mentioned in passing within a journal before the aforementioned even actually occurred, or by oral tradition of the native population.

"Please wait for one second, while I go get the master and tell him the situation." Mr. Wong commented as he set the phone down on the table that the phone was resting on to go find his fellow student of the Ancient one.

A few minutes later, Giles heard the receiver being picked up on the other end. No doubt, it was either Wong or Doctor Vincent Strange.

"Hello Mr. Giles, I understand that a demonic ascension is about to occur at the hellmouth in Sunnydale." A different voice from before commented.

* * *

**Okay, here's the very first chapter to my new story**, _**The Arashikage Zippo**_**. Now this story is a BTVS/ Marvel crossover with heavy influences from GI Joe. Now like my other story (which I should be updating soon once I recover my notes), I'm allowing you the reviewers and readers to vote on the girl that Xander hooks up with from a list of people.**

**Your choices are:**

**Jean Gray aka the Phoenix**

**Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow**

**Yuriko Oyama aka Lady Deathstrike (I'm going with her **_**X2: X-Men United**_**, where she's played Kelly Hu.)**

**Maria Hill**

**Elektra (she'll look like her Earth-616 appearance)**

**Maya Lopez aka Echo**

**Maki Matsumoto aka Lady Bullseye**

* * *

**So with being noted, please leave a review of your choice, but if you have another person in mind tell me and I'll think about it. So until next readers, Hoorah to Ashes.**


	2. The Man That Would Become Snake-Eyes

**Chapter Two: The Man That Would Become Snake-Eyes**

* * *

It was an extremely hot and humid day on Arashikage Island as Xander found himself sitting on his heels as he waited for Tommy to return with his two uncles to discuss his joining. As he waited, he could literally feel his pores in his skin scream in agony from the jungle humidity that it was being exposed to. The light blue business suit that he was wearing wasn't really helping as the white dress shirt that he was wearing underneath the suit's blazer was drenched with his sweat. He knew that if the two heads of the Arashikage clan accepted him into the clan, he would definitely need to acclimate to his new environment that differed greatly from the desert heat of Southern California.

"_Tommy, what the hell is taking you and your uncles so long to decide on whether or not I join the clan?"_ Xander mentally wondered as he allowed his eyes to wander.

He easily spotted two men standing in the left and right corner of the room. They were wearing black trousers with a white long sleeved dress shirt tucked into them and hanging around their necks was a black tie. Covering their dress shirts was a black loose fitting double-breasted blazer that had a notched lapel on the outside portion of the jacket. Their feet were covered by a pair of black dress socks and a pair of black oxford shoes. Their eyes were hidden by a pair of reflective sunglasses, while a communications earpiece was visible in the two men's right ear. Over all, the two men looked like they would fit right in with the United States Secret Service.

"_Why the hell do they have these two bodyguards here? It's not like I have anything on me that could allow me that could harm Tommy and his uncles, even if I tried."_ Xander thought to himself as he recalled how he had been thoroughly searched when he first arrived on the island.

Besides he knew that it was downright suicidal for him to try and assassinate Tommy and his uncles as it would downright impossible for him. He had seen the type of moves that his friend had at his disposal during the battle with the Mayor, so he knew that he didn't stand a chance if they decided to kill him. It was at this moment that he heard the sliding Shōji door opening causing him to snap his eyes back towards the door. Xander said nothing as he watched as three figures walked through the open door and took their respective seats on the raised wooden deck in front of him.

Sitting on the left was Tommy's youngest uncle that he identified as the Soft Master. The man looked like he was in earlier fifties as his black hair was just starting to turn grey from age and had lost all of his hair on the top of his head. He was wearing a kamishimo outfit that was completely orange in color save for the white tabi socks on his feet. On the right was Tommy, who was wearing a white sleeveless martial arts gi with matching Jika-tabi boots that had the gi trouser legs tucked into them. Around his forearms and shins was white work out wraps. Finally, sitting in front of Xander was Tommy's uncle know as the Hard Master. Like the Soft Master, he was wearing the traditional Japanese kamishimo outfit. But instead of it being orange, the outfit was blood red in color. The man was completely bald with the only hair on his head being his white eyebrows.

For a few seconds, no one said anything as the three Japanese men observed Xander with a mixture of interest or in Tommy's case concern. The last time Westerner that they had accepted into the Arashikage clan had been back during the seventies with a man by the name of James Howlett. While the Canadian had been able to master everything that was required from the clan's members, he ended up running afoul with the Gin Yakuza clan over a woman. Since then, many within the clan had become extremely reluctant to allow another gaijin into the ranks.

However, even the most harden traditionalist within the clan had to accept the harsh reality of the situation that they were facing. In order for their clan to survive in this day and age, they needed to accept westerners into their ranks. This cold and brutal truth was even more apparent with many of the more feared ninja clans allowing westerners into their ranks. It would be only a matter of time before the clan was surrounded on all sides by their rivals who were filled to the brim with talented gaijin warriors.

"So you are the gaijin that has impressed my nephew enough for him to extend an invitation to join the Arashikage clan." The Hard Master spoke in heavily accented English that did little to hide unimpressed opinion on his nephew's friend.

Xander only nodded his head in confirmation as he recalled the brief lessons on manners that Tommy had hammered into his head during the flight from Los Angeles International to Nagasaki International Airport.

"So tell me boy, has my nephew spoke to you about what the Arashikage clan does for a living?" The Hard Master questioned as he wanted to know how much his nephew had told the outsider before coming back to his native homeland.

Xander briefly glanced at Tommy, who nodded his head telling him that it was safe for him to talk.

"All Tommy has told me about your family's business was that it occasionally involved martial arts." Xander answered truthfully as he honestly didn't have a clue as to what the Arashikage clan did.

The Hard Master looked at Xander for several seconds as if he was trying to detect any deception. When the elderly Japanese man was satisfied that the American had been completely honest with him, he visibly relaxed.

"I guess it's time for you to understand what you have unintentionally joined when you accepted my nephew's offer." The Hard Master commented as he clapped his hands much to Xander's surprise and confusion.

Almost instantly four men dressed in blue uniforms that were similar to what Tommy was wearing appeared in the room. However, unlike Tommy's uniform their martial gi had sleeves covering their arms. They also had masks covering the majority of their faces and head leaving only the area around their eyes exposed. In the four men's hands were Japanese Katana swords. However, what really surprised Xander were the two men that appeared out of two trapdoors that were right next to him. Thankfully for Xander, he had mastered the ability to control his facial expressions from spending years living in an abusive household.

"For someone to able to control their emotions without having any prior training is quite impressive." The Soft Master commented offhandedly as he observed how Xander had reacted to the sudden appearance of four ninja in the room.

Xander for his part could honestly say that he shouldn't be surprised that ninja existed outside of Hollywood cinema. After all, if demons and vampires were real then who was to say that other groups such as ninja clans weren't still around?

"So Mr. Harris do you believe that you are still willing to join us knowing that you will be committing yourself to a ninja clan for the rest of your life?" The Hard Master spoke as he mentally prepared to give the execution order in case the American declined to join the clan.

Xander briefly thought over his situation as he recalled his confrontation with the rest of the Scooby gang after they defeated the mayor. His friends had been less than accepting of his decision of leaving the United States to go work in Japan.

* * *

**Start of Flashback**

* * *

"_CHEERS FOR SURVIVING HIGH SCHOOL!" every member of the Scooby gang yelled out in excitement as they toasted several glasses of champagne for the occasions._

_Buffy's mom Joyce Summers could only shake her head in amusement knowing that her daughter and her friends were being quite literal with that toast. They had survived two years of fighting the forces of darkness that made Sunnydale their home. They had managed to stop Mayor Wilkins from ascending into a pure-blooded demon and devouring the entire town as well as permanently sealed up the hellmouth thanks to the sudden appearance of the Sorcerer Supreme. All of them were going to savior the reaction of Wilkins when Dr. Strange appeared out of thin air and stopped him mid-transformation for the rest of their lives._

"_So Giles, what are you going to do now that the hellmouth has been closed off for good?" Willow asked as she watched as he boyfriend guzzled down his glass of champagne like it was water._

_Everybody briefly stared at the former watcher as he removed his glass, which was generally viewed as a bad sign as it meant bad things were about to happen._

"_I believe I'll return to my beloved homeland for awhile and recover from the two years of living on the hellmouth and dealing with a bunch of teenagers." Giles replied as he looked at the four eighteen year olds that were sitting in front of him._

_They had all grown up into a group of young adults that had been exposed to the dark underbelly of the town, but refused to allow it to consume them like it had with so many others. Most of them would be going to college in the following August to begin the next portion of their lives. Each of them had come a long way since they first met each other back during their sophomore year of High School. However, the person that had grown the most in that time frame had been none other Alexander Harris. _

"_So Xander, what time is your flight to Japan?" Joyce suddenly asked as she wanted her daughter to say her good-byes to her friend before he left to pursue his own goals and dreams._

_At the sudden revelation that Xander had decided to leave the United States to go to Japan, everyone went silent in shock. Buffy was the first to recover from the unexpected surprise that her Xander-shaped friend was leaving the country for unknown reasons._

"_What'd you mean Xander's leaving for Japan, Mom? I thought that he was going to go on a cross-country trip after graduation." Buffy commented as she was confused as why her own mother would say such a thing in the first place._

_The oldest living Slayer looked at Xander to see that he wasn't making eye contact with any of them. She quickly put together the evidence that was in front of her and realized that what her mother said was true. Xander really was going leave them and the country in order for him to go to the land of the rising sun. Buffy turned to her former watcher and father-figure to see how he was taking this surprise, only to find that the British man was completely calm about the entire ordeal. At this realization, Buffy's confusion rapidly turned into white hot anger._

"_When were you going to tell us about you leaving for Japan, Xander?" Buffy demanded as she glared murderously at her male friend for withholding such important information._

_Everyone turned to look at the Californian teenager to only find that he shifting in his seat uncomfortably in his chair indicating that he might have not told them until the very last second or not at all. This of course not only angered Buffy, but it also made Willow upset even more._

"_You mean that you weren't going tell us?" Willow whined as she realized that her childhood friend had been keeping a secret from her._

_Xander looked at Willow with eyes telling her that she had no right to criticize him for keeping his departure a secret from them. After all, she had been keeping secrets from everyone else for years about her grandfather and what she does with most of her allowance. The only reason why he never said anything about it was out of respect for her grandfather,__Erik Lehnsherr. There was also the fact that he kept his status as a mutant a secret from everyone._

"_I was going to tell you guys tonight about the fact that I was leaving for Japan." He truthfully commented as he silently prepared himself for the inevitable yelling that was about to occur. _

_The room went quite as nobody said anything and for a brief second, Xander thought that Buffy and Willow would accept his decision like proper friends would. _

"_YOU'RE LYING!" Both Buffy and Willow angrily shouted as they bolted out of their chairs as they glared at him for telling them something other than they're false notion of truth._

_Before Xander could retort about how he was telling the truth, Giles spoke out._

"_That's enough out of you two! I know for a fact that Xander has been contemplating leaving the country for a job opportunity in Japan for awhile. In fact, I was the one that encouraged him to take this opportunity in the first place as he couldn't get into any colleges or universities despite of his above average GPA. Now I suggest that everybody calm down so we can continue to celebrate our victory over Wilkins." Giles lectured as he gave Buffy and Willow a stern look telling them to drop it for now._

_With that being said the two girls immediately backed down and sat back in their seats, but continued to shoot Xander angrily looks. Said teen, simply sighed in annoyance knowing that the girls weren't going to allow this conversation too die off so easily. About four hours later, the celebrations had ended and everyone was now remembering the fact that Xander was going to Japan on his own._

"_So Xander, why are you leaving for Japan?" Buffy politely asked as she remembered the stern lecture that her mother had given her for treating her friend like that._

_If there was one thing that the oldest living Slayer wanted to actively avoid doing, it was angering Joyce Summers. _

"_To be honest with you, Buffy, I'm going to Japan because I can't into a college here in America. So I decided to take up a friend's offer and join his family's business in Japan." Xander commented as he tried to leave Tommy's name out of the conversation in the hopes of keeping the girls from being completely suspicion about his friend's motives._

_Buffy narrowed her eyes as she picked up on the fact that Xander refused to mention the person that made the offer's name and was about to call him out on it. Until she saw that Giles giving her a very stern look telling her that he had already met Xander's friend and approved of him. She then looked at her mother, who was watching every play out with larger concern towards Buffy's attitude than the actual conversation itself. Realizing that the two adults who played a very big role in her life were siding with Xander over, she backed down._

"_Fine, do whatever you want! Just know that if you get into trouble, I won't be around to protect you!" Buffy snarled out before storming up the stair to her bedroom. _

_Sure enough, when Xander showed up at Tommy's house for the brief two hour drive to Los Angeles International airport none of his friends were there to see him off. It was clear that they didn't approve of his trip to Japan and decided to show it by not saying good-bye._

* * *

**End of Flashback**

* * *

"Hard Master, I wish to join your clan and I'm more than willing to do anything to prove my loyalty." Xander spoke almost half-knowing that his life depended upon him joining the Arashikage clan.

The Hard Master looked at him as if he was trying to pick up any deceit from the gaijin American. As he observed the young man, he noticed that the teenager had the steely gaze of a serpent that was posed to strike at a moment's notice.

"Very well then, I welcome you into the Arashikage clan. However, a new life requires a new name for you. So with that in mind, I hereby rechristen you with the name of Snake-Eyes." The Hard Master spoke with absolute power and authority that reminded Xander of a military general, who was commanding his men into battle.

The newly renamed Snake-Eyes politely bowed to his new sensei with great difficulty from the Seiza sitting position. With every being said and done, both the Hard and Soft Masters slowly rose from their cushions and left the room the same way they came in. This just left Snake-Eyes and Tommy along with the bodyguards in the room. For awhile, neither Tommy nor Snake-Eyes said anything as they contemplated what had just happened.

"I suppose congratulations are in order, Snake-Eyes. Let me be the first to welcome you into the Arashikage clan as a brother-in-arms." Tommy commented as he got up from his own seat cushion and walked over to the newest member of the Arashikage clan.

The young man formally known as Alexander Harris nodded his head in thanks at being welcome into the clan.

"Thanks Tommy, but I have to know what the hell I'm getting into." Snake-Eyes commented as he looked around the room.

As soon as he said Tommy's name, the guards immediately began reaching into their coats much to the alarm of Snake-Eyes. However, Tommy simply waved them off and spoke in Japanese, which seemed to cause the guards to back down.

"Snake-Eyes, I'm going to warn you right now. Don't ever call me by my real name when we're in front of our fellow clansmen, they're extremely traditional and will view you calling me by that nickname as an insult. It's alright if we're alone in the same room, but in public you must either call me Young Master or Storm Shadow. Do you understand?" Tommy explained to his friend about what he did wrong by calling him by his American nickname.

Snake-Eyes immediately realized what Storm Shadow was getting at, as the Japanese culture was kinda of infamous for putting a great deal of stress on honorific suffixes on a person's name. As if he had lost his voice in some tragic accident, the newest member of the Arashikage clan simply nodded his head in understanding.

"Great! Now follow me and I'll show you to where you'll be sleeping during your stay." Storm Shadow commented as he began walking out of the building towards the courtyard.

Snake-Eyes let out a brief sigh and began following his friend out of the building. It was going to take a very long time for him to get used to this new lifestyle that he had inadvertently joined, but he was more than willing to tackle it head on. If only to because he doesn't give up so easily.

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**Okay, here's a brand new chapter for you guys to enjoy. I would like to apologize for taking so long as I had been extremely busy with school and other projects that I kinda of forgotten about this chapter until recently. Now then here is the current poll tally for the girl that will hook up with in the story. Please keep in mind that depending on the girl, I'll have to adjust the story accordingly so choose wisely.**

**Jean Grey aka The Phoenix: 6 votes**

**Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow: 7 votes**

**Yuriko Oyama aka Lady Deathstrike (I'm going with **_**X-men 2: United**_** appearance, where's she's played by Kelly Hu): 2 votes**

**Maria Hill: 2 votes**

**Elektra (Marvel Earth 616 appearance): 2 votes**

**Maya Lopez aka Echo (or ****Rōnin****): 2 votes**

**Maki Matsumoto aka Lady Bullseye: 0 votes**

**X-23: 1 vote**

**Noriko Ashida aka Surge: 1 vote**

**Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock aka Psylocke: 1 vote**

**Jessica Drew aka Spider Woman: 1 vote**

**Ororo Monroe aka Storm: 1 vote**

**Carmilla Black aka Scorpion: 1 vote**

**Silver Sablinova aka Silver Stable: 0 votes**

**Cassandra Cain (The Black Bat from DC Universe): 1 vote**

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**Okay as you guys can see Natasha is winning the poll by exactly one vote. I have also included the names of the women or girls that people have recommended, but I somehow doubt will win. So this leads to my next poll, should I have the rest of the Scooby gang (meaning Buffy, Willow and Giles) killed off? So vote now to decide the fate of Xander's friends.**

**So until next time readers, Hoorah to Ashes!**


	3. The Faceless and the Ageless Masters

**Chapter Three: The Faceless and The Ageless Masters**

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**Note: this chapter skips three and half years ahead from the previous chapter**

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Snake-Eyes swung a Katana sword that had been given to him by the Hard Master as a sign of respect. The sword was called the Mikimoto Sword and was considered for all intents and purposes to be unbreakable due to the blade being made out of Onihashi laminated steel. While he was honored that the Hard Master had given him such a legendary blade, he was confused as why he had been given such a blade in the first place. Surely, there were other students that were more worthy of wielding the sword than he was.

"Snake-Eyes do not question why I have given you have been given the Mikimoto sword. Just be thankful that the blade has accepted you as its master and make it an extension of yourself." The Hard Master commented from the nearby gazebo as he poured a small cup of Green Jasmine tea to enjoy.

Snake-Eyes couldn't help but smile to himself underneath the mask that covered the lower half of his face. Leave it to the Hard Master to be able to pick up on a person's emotions or thoughts without even looking at them. Then again, the Hard Master had been able to quickly deduce that his newest student was a mutant within the week of his arrival. So it shouldn't have come to him as a surprise that the man would be able to read his mind despite the ninja master not being a mutant himself.

"Hai, Sensei!" Snake-Eyes called out as he continued to practice his sword swing.

It was at this moment that the Soft Master appeared in the training yard followed by a man who was wearing a dark grey and Navy blue camouflaged uniform with a matching skin tight balaclava covering his face. On his torso was a slate grey ballistic vest jacket. The moment that Snake-Eyes spotted the Soft Master and the unknown guest, he stopped practicing his sword technique in mid-swing. The American turned ninja couldn't help, but feel that something bad was about to happen.

Buffy and the gang back in Sunnydale would simply brush off his gut feelings and call him paranoid. However, they wouldn't take into account that their friend Xander had become a ninja in the last three and half years since they last saw each other. Nor, would they consider the idea that most ninja were considered paranoid to the point of insanity. However, that paranoia was actually encouraged by the ninja masters as it was often times the only thing that kept a ninja alive.

As the Soft Master approached his brother in order to speak with him, Snake-Eyes looked over at his friend Storm Shadow to see how he was taking this development. He quickly found Tommy standing at the edge of the courtyard that overlooked the Philippine Sea with his hankyū-Yumi bow drawn and ready to fire. Normally, that wouldn't really be a big deal as he had seen plenty of people doing the same thing over the years he had been here. However, what was making Tommy stand out from his fellow students was the fact that he was doing this blindfolded. Sometimes, he was truly amazed by Storm Shadow's enhanced hearing abilities and how it allowed him have hearing that vastly superior to that of a bloodhound.

"ATTENTION, MY STUDENTS! TODAY, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A GREAT HONOR BY THE KŌGA CLAN! ONE OF THEIR OWN NINJA MASTERS HAS DECIDED TO OBSERVE HOW WE TEACH THE NEXT GENERATION ARASHIKAGE NINJA! YOU ARE TO TREAT HIM WITH THE ABSOLUTE RESPECT THAT IS REQUIRED TOWARDS A MAN OF HIS POSITION!" The Hard Master yelled out in Japanese catching the attention of everyone in the training yard, who hadn't noticed the arrival of the Soft Master and the Kōga ninja master.

At the order to treat the Kōga Ninja with respect, everybody in the courtyard bowed in understanding. Despite what the Hard Master had told everyone, Snake-Eyes still was wary about having this Kōga ninja being around him as he could shake the feeling that this man had a motive other than observing the clan. However, he couldn't just approach the Hard Master about his gut feelings without having any proof to back up his accusation as that could cause a clan war between the Arashikage clan and the Kōga clan.

So for the time being, he'll remain quiet and observe the ninja for any wrong doings before telling the Masters about his suspicions. With any luck, his fears will be unfounded and he'll apologize to the Kōga ninja master for believing that he was up to no good.

* * *

**Meanwhile in Bayville, New York**

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Logan aka Wolverine snarled as he walked towards the Cerebro room, while a black duffel bag slung over his left shoulder. He knew many of the students were wondering why he was lugging around the bag, but were choosing not to ask him the reason why. However, this suited the Canadian just fine as he preferred people not to interfere in his private matters. The only problem now was telling Charles Xavier that he would be leaving the institute for a week, despite the fact that he just got back from a previous trip up in Canada. However, he needed to see the only person in the world that was capable of sharpening his Adamantium claws and that person resided on an island off of the southern coast of Japan.

Usually, anything that was made out of adamantium could never break or in the case of blades get dull unless it goes up against something that was sharper or stronger. However, Logan recently had a very violent encounter with the incredible hulk near a small town up in Ontario. At the start of the fight, he noticed the unsheathing of his claws caused more pain than they usually did and the fight didn't help in the matter. So after he was defeated by the Hulk, he realized that a trip to professor Onihashi was in order.

"_Is something bothering you, Logan?"_ Charles telepathically asked from the Cerebro room as he continued to scan for possible new recruits for the Institute and the X-men, much to the irritation of Wolverine.

Logan never really liked it when telepaths entered his mind without his permission as he felt that it violated his right to privacy unless it was in an emergency. However, he made the exception for the Professor as the man had been kind enough to give him room and board.

"_It has to do with my claws, Chuck. I fear that they might be starting to get dull from constant use and need to be sharpened."_ Logan truthfully reply back telepathically as he continued to walk towards the Cerebro room unabated.

The professor mentally nodded his head in understanding at what the Lupine mutant had told him. While Charles understood that Adamantium was an extremely durable material, he was well aware that it wasn't the invincible metal that everyone foolishly believed it to be. However, what concerned him about what Logan had told was the fact that his claws actually required maintenance like all other blades that were constantly used.

"_Why do you need them to have them sharpened, Logan? I thought that the adamantium that coated your bones helped keep you claws sharpened enough that you don't have to worry about them going dull?"_ Xavier mentally commented with some confusing.

Logan was well aware that the professor was confused by the fact that he needed to have his claws sharpened.

"_Chuck, this is first time that I actually needed to have them sharpened. I'm going to the one person that knows more about indestructible metals then Magneto and ask for his help."_ Logan mentally responded as he went up to his room to gather his equipment that he would need during his trip in Japan.

The equipment in question was mostly clothing that had been given to him by his former lover, Mariko Yashida. While he would always hold these articles of clothing close to him for sentimental reasons, there was also another reason why he kept them. That reason was shown on two snow white patches that showed a rather infamous monshō or Mon amongst the few remaining Samurai as well as the various ninja clans. On top of the two white patches in bright blood red was sixty-third hexagram of the I Ching, the feared symbol of the Arashikage clan. While most of his past was a complete mystery to him, he distinctly remembered his time with the Arashikage clan.

"_It's just so happens, Logan that I have finally tracked down that one mutant that has managed to elude my detection for the last seven years to a series of small islands that are dozen miles off the coast of the Japanese mainland. I will allow you to go to Japan if two X-men are allowed to accompany you in order to speak with the young man about joining the institute."_ Xavier commented as he continued to try and get an exact fix on the young man's exact location.

For the last seven years, the professor had been trying to pinpoint the exact location of a special type of telepathic mutant without much success. Normally, he would have given up until he was sure that Cerebro would be able to pierce through magical veils such as the one that covers Doctor Strange's house. However, this telepathic mutant is considered such an unusual rarity that Charles quickly became determined to hunt him down.

"_That's fine, Charles. But I'm the one who gets to decide who's accompanying me to Japan."_ Logan mentally commented in a way that left no room for argument.

The Canadian already knew who the Professor intended to send with him to Japan and he wasn't going to stand for it.

"_I'm sure that Scott and Hank will be the ideal choice for accompanying on this journey, Logan."_ Charles tried to convince the older mutant to allow his two choices to go with him.

Scott was the leader of the X-men and the intended heir of his dream of peaceful co-existence between the mutant race and the human race. So it made sense in the eyes of the professor to send him with Logan in order to convince this young mutant to join them. Hank McCoy was also an ideal candidate for the journey as the man knew how to speak Japanese and as such would automatically be suited for this mission.

"_Charles, the man that I need to see about my claws won't trust a man that covers his eyes and Hank could possibly be mistaken for a demon or something. There's also the fact that Shades tends to not thinking a situation completely through before speaking or acting."_ Logan crisply replied as he continued packing his things without missing a beat.

Xavier could only sigh in agreement at what he had just heard, despite how much he wanted to refute such arguments. In fact, the professor could honestly say that if the world could learn to accept Dr. McCoy's appearance then the X-men will have succeeded in their mission of establishing peaceful co-existence between mutants and humans. So while Hank was an ideal candidate for the mission, his appearance could possibly do more harm than good for the mission. Then there was Scott Summers aka Cyclops, his handpicked leader of the X-men.

Scott was easily the most selfless, self-disciplined, and ethical person that Xavier had ever met. The young man also possessed tremendous leadership abilities that were only matched by his great tactical and strategic skills that made him the ideal leader for the X-men. While several other members of the X-men possessed the same skills as Scott did, the professor wanted one absolute leader for them to avoid any power struggles in the event of his death. This of course, brought him into conflict with both Logan and Storm who felt that he was being unfair to the other students by grooming Scott as his successor.

However, he knew that Logan knew more about Japan than anyone else on the team and was needed for this mission more than Scott was.

"_Very well then Logan, I will concede control of the X-men roster and allow you to pick the two X-men that you believe are best suited for this mission."_ Charles asked as he tried to think of the members that Logan might find acceptable for this mission.

Logan stopped packing his things as he briefly thought over the members of the team that he knew were best suited for this mission. Instantly, two names immediately popped into his mind that he knew were perfect for this mission.

Charles waited for Logan to give him the names of the team X-men that he wanted to accompany him to Japan. In the past, he would have been able to see who the Canadian mutant wanted bring along with him on missions and simply arrange it so that either Logan's picks were already out on missions or they were too busy doing something else to be bothered. Recently however, Logan had somehow been able to block his ability to read his mind to a limited extent. So now, he had no idea who Logan might pick to be on the mission until he told him.

So without any other recourse, Xavier had no choice but to wait for Logan to decide on the other two members of the team going on the Japanese mission.

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**Okay here is another chapter for you guys to enjoy. Now this chapter is nothing more than a way for me to make it possible for Xander to meet members of the X-men and give him away to get back to the United States. So now it's time to move onto the poll for the pairing of the story.**

**Jean Grey aka the Phoenix: Eleven votes**

**Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow: Nine votes**

**Yuriko Oyama aka Lady Deathstrike (I'm going with X-men 2: United appearance, where she's played by Kelly Hu.) three votes **

**Electra (Marvel Earth 616 appearance): two votes**

**Maria Hill: two votes**

**Maya Lopez aka Echo (or Rōnin): two votes**

**Noriko Ashida aka Surge: one vote**

**Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock aka Psylocke: one vote **

**Jessica Drew aka Spider-woman: one vote**

**Ororo Monroe: one vote**

**Carmilla Black aka Scorpion: one vote**

**Laura Kinney aka X-23: one vote**

**Cassandra Cain (from the DC universe): one vote**

**Silver Sablinova aka Silver Stable: zero votes**

**Maki Matsumoto aka Lady Deathstrike: zero votes**

**Emma Frost: negative one vote**

**As you guys can see Jean Grey is in the lead by two votes over Natasha Romanoff. The next chapter will be the final deadline for voting.**

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**So with being said and done readers until next time, Hoorah to Ashes!**


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